Cleanout shovel



Jan. 31, 1950 c. L. ANDERSON 2,495,802

CLEANOUT SHOVEL Filed May 14, 1945 INVENTOR. Cawl 2.0%726567150/2 Patented Jan. 31 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANOUT SHOVEL Carl L. Anderson, Bloomington, Ill.

Application May 14, 1945, Serial No. 593,707

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a clean out shovel designed more particularly for the purpose of removing the small cinders, clinkers, and other debris from within the fire bowl of a stoker fired furnace. Although the foregoing is the principal application of the present shovel, it is obvious that other analogous uses are possible in other capacities so that the shovel of the present invention need not be limited. to any specific purpose herein described. Such a shovel may be used in any sort of a bin, for cleaning out containers, or in foundry uses and for other like purposes to which the utility of the present shovel construction is directly applicable.

Inasmuch as the invention relates to a shovel that was primarily directed for periodically cleaning out the fire bowl of stoker fired furnaces, its efliciency resides in the manner in which the same is constructed to perform this particular function. In furnaces of the type described, the fire bowl is usually disposed below the door level and such a bowl is provided with a central cone or feed means projecting above the bottom level thereof forming an annular ring into which the residue of the products of combustion drop and gather to slowly fill this annular ring of the fire bowl. It is a necessary chore to periodically remove such residue which should be done during the operation of the furnace without interfering with the normal heating action thereof.

It is one of the main objects of the present clean out shovel to accomplish this purpose with the least amount of disturbance to any of the operating mechanisms employed in a furnace of the stoker fired type and to provide such ashovel which can clean out the residue in a minimum length of time without injury to the person using the same such as might be caused by physical contact with the heated parts of the furnace.

Another object of the present invention is to produce a shovel of this type which is rotatably connected by swivel means to an appropriately arranged and formed handle whereby the shovel Will guide itself about the walls around the inner periphery of the fire bowl by hand .gyrating the handle. Through this action, the scoop automatically follows the annular contour of the furnace to pick up the burned residue for easy removal thereof. The swivel means includes friction means to hold the scoop in its last angular position with respect to the handle while lifting same out of the fire bowl.

All other objects and advantages shall hereinafter appear in the following detailed description of the invention having reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the shovel of the present invention. the shovel being shown in use within a fire bowl of a conventional stoker fired furnace;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the shovel also showing its application for removing residue and clinkers from the fire bowl of the furnace;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the swivel means employed for connecting the scoop of the shovel with the handle;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the scoop bracket il lustrating a modified construction thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the pivotal member of the swivel means construction to cooperate with the bracket illustrated in Fig. 4 producing a cooperative modified arrangement of swivel means having predetermined angular dwell positions of the scoop relative to the supporting handle.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the utility shovel of the instant invention includes, as its main elements, a scoop l0 and a handle ll, such handle being connected by swivel means i 2 with the scoop l0 whereby the latter is pivotally carried by the handle and capable of 360 rotation about the axis of the adjacent handle end.

The handle H is preferably of a gooseneck construction having a vertically disposed leg I3 connected with the swivel means and a horizontally extending leg M terminating in a hand grip 15.

The construction of the swivel means 12 is better understood with reference to Fig. :3 wherein the scoop I0 is shown as suitably secured to a bracket 16 terminating a horizontal ear I] which cooperates with a pivot :pin structure 18. The pivot pin structure l8 comprises a vertical shank l9 telescoped into the leg [3 of the handle H, and suitable means such as a set screw 2.0 is provided for securing shank 1.9 to the handle. With this arrangement, the shank 19 may be adjusted vertically with respect to the leg I3 of the handle 1| I. The intermediate portion of the pivot pin structure as an annular disc :21 adapted to frictionally seat upon the upper portion of the ear ll, such disc carrying the pivot pin 22 which is disposed in axial alignment with the shank .49. Pin .22 projects downwardly through an opening 23 provided in the car 11.

A spring '24 encircles the pivot pin 22 and is confined between suitable washers 25 and 25 that bear against the ear I! and a nut .21, respectively.

With this arrangement, the spring 24 is in expanding engagement between the ear I! of the bracket [6 carrying the scoop l0, and the nut 21 is threaded upon the end of the pivot pin 22 whereby the spring functions to frictionally maintain the relatively large undersurface of the disc 2| in frictional engagement with the upper surface of the horizontal leg ll of the bracket. This particular frictional contact may be varied by adjusting the nut 21 up and down the threaded portion of the pivot pin 22 thereby controlling the relative angular movement between the scoop ll] about the vertical axis of the adjacent leg 13 of the handle ll.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, it is seen that the cooperative members comprising the bracket l6 and the pivotal structure l8 can be modified to include limited detent means that is releasable and adjustable. Such detent means will position the scoop H] in certain predetermined angular positions in a horizontal plane with respect to the vertically extending leg l3 of the handle II. This detent means is made by providing the top of the ear H with a plurality of radial projections 28 and by providing the disc 2| with corresponding notches 29 radially arranged to receive the projections 28 under the action of the expansion spring 24. With this particular arrangement of pivotal means, a more definite angular cooperative dwell relationship may be obtained than with the unrestricted smooth frictional arrangement illustrated in Fig. 3.

Other variations or changes in the preferred construction of shovel illustrated are also contemplated without departing from the general fundamental principles of the preferred device. It is possible to change the respective angular positions of the vertical and horizontal legs of the bracket I6 to dispose the scoop in with its bottom in an angular position with respect to the vertical axis of the handle leg portion l3, such scoop still being capable of 360 revolution about the adjacent handle end by means of the frictional swivel structure l2. Also, as pointed out hereinbefore, the handle leg I3 may be adjusted vertically relative to the shank I9 by means of the set screw 20 producing a greater clearance height of the horizontal leg portion Id of the handle H above the swivel joint l2 and the scope I0.

It is also possible to shape the handle I I in any desired manner, it being contemplated to use a soft wall tube for the handle which is capable of being bent into the desired shape needed.

Once the handle has been shaped to suit a certain condition of use of the shovel the same may be maintained in this particular form or shape. Furthermore, it is also possible to have several handles of various shapes and sizes for certain conditions of use which may be interchangeably secured to the shank I9 by suitable fastening means such as the set screw 20. This permits the scoop Ill and its associated frictional swivel connection l2 to be interchangeably used with one or more handles designed for particular uses and purposes.

Referring back to Figs. 1 and 2 it is seen that the shovel in this case is used for removing residue and clinkers from the bottom annular portion of a fire bowl 30 of a conventional stoker fired furnace 3|. Such a fire bowl is usually provided with a central feed cone 32. By placing the shovel through the door opening 33 and dropping the same downwardly into the fire bowl, manual gyration of the handle will cause the shovel to follow the circular contour of the fire bowl wall picking up the residue in the manner shown in Fig. 2. Obviously, the shovel handle may be lifted at any stage of the position of the shovel with respect to the fire bowl and such shovel may be brought out through the door opening 33 and emptied to be reintroduced for a subsequent scooping into the materials lodged at the annular bottom of the fire bowl 30.

To enhance the freedom of use of the shovel arrangement described, the scoop I0 is preferably constructed with the forward leading edges thereof somewhat turned in or rounded inwardly at the lateral sides thereof substantially as indicated at 34 and 35 in Fig. 2. The bottom may also be curved as at 36 in Fig. 1 if desired. This prevents the scoop from catching upon irregularities on the wall or bottom of the fire brick or upon the joining portions thereof and will not interfere with the freedom of annular movement of the scoop about the fire bowl while the handle II is being gyrated. In this manner the curved side portions or forward turned in parts of the scoop ID provide cam means for guiding the shovel about the inner periphery of the fire bowl and the freedom of this particular movement is controlled by the frictional retardation of movement of the swivel means under the action of the spring 24.

All other changes or modifications contemplated in the design and construction of the present invention shall be governed by the subject matter contained in the appended claims setting forth and defining the features of the present invention.

What I claim is:

A shovel comprising a scoop, a projection thereon having an aperture and providing a fiat surface adjacent said aperture disposed in a plane parallel to the plane of operation of said scoop, and swivel means connected with the scoop end of said handle and cooperating with the projection on said scoop to enable the latter to describe a complete circle about the adjacent end of said handle, said swivel means comprising a pivotal member having an intermediate annular disc forming an abutment, said pivotal member having one portion thereof adapted for connection with said handle, another portion of said pivotal member extending through said projection aperture to provide a pivot pin and spring means carried by said pivot pin to coact with said scoop projection to hold said abutment in retarded frictional engagement against the fiat surface of said scoop projection.

2. A shovel comprising a scoop, a handle having its fore-end extending generally vertically downwardly for swivelled engagement with said scoop whereby said scoop may be rotated horizontally with respect to said handle throughout a 360 swing, engagement means cooperative between said handle and said scoop comprising a horizontally extending ear on said scoop having a shankreceiving opening therein, a vertically extending shank on said handle extending through the opening in said ear, a disc carried by said shank above said ear with its lower surface in face-toface abutment with the upper surface of said ear, a compression spring below said ear, means for maintaining said spring in compression, one end of said spring abutting and maintaining said disc and said ear in frictional engagement, the other end of said spring being in abutment with said last-named means.

3. A shovel as set forth in claim 2 wherein the lower surface of said disc and the upper surface of said ear are provided with mutually cooperative detent means adapted to hold the scoop in relatively fixed position in any of several selective positions, said detent means comprising radially extending upraised portions on one and corresponding radially extending recessed portions on the other.

CARL L. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Taylor Dec. 29, 1885 Duzer June 21, 1887 Covel Feb. 26, 1901 Halvorsen June 26, 1906 Wornstafi Dec. 24, 1929 Nelson Nov. 12, 1940 Schmal Mar. 2, 1943 

